14 August 2010

Weekly book swap #3

SIMPLIFY YOUR LIFE: 100 ways to slow down and enjoy
the things that really matter by
Elaine St. James.

I’m not going to go so far
as to say that this book “changed my life,” but it did change my perspective.And I’m happier than happy to share
these goodies with whoever emails first!

Just a few ideas about
what you’ll find in the pages of this little gem:

#1 – Reduce the Clutter in Your Life … “give it to a friend, give it to Goodwill, take it
to a consignment shop, sell it at a garage sale, or put it in the Dumpster.”

NOTE: I’m still in the
process of doing this.Before I
left Los Angeles, I sold a bunch of “stuff” on Craigslist.And I’m still making bi-weekly trips to
the Goodwill with bags of clothes, books and random tidbits that I realize don’t
serve a real purpose in the life I’m trying to build with the Cowboy and
LO.I know it’s not easy to
separate yourself from “stuff,” but I notice that the fewer clothes in my
closet, the less “stuff” in my life, the lighter and happier I feel.

#10 – Leave Your Shoes at the Front Door … “Your house will be visibly cleaner: dirt stains
on the carpets and rugs are kept to a minimum, carpets are much easier to keep
clean, and the overall dust quotient throughout the house is greatly reduced ….
But perhaps the greatest benefit for the simplicity-oriented is that taking off
your street shoes at the front door helps to create the sense of your home as a
sanctuary.It’s almost magical:
when you leave your shoes at the door, you start to feel you can leave your
troubles there, too.”

NOTE: Ms. St. James
suggests leaving a small box or rack for your shoes to hold the shoes.And she suggests leaving socks or
slippers at the front door (including socks for your guests you might not want
to be barefoot).I LOVE this idea
(but haven’t yet incorporated it into life at the Cottage).

#52 – Do What You Really Want to Do … “Unfortunately, the process of figuring out what you want to do and then doing it isn’t
necessarily simple.Unlike
canceling your newspaper subscription (#28), which can be completed with a
phone call, setting up your life so that you’re doing what you really want to
do can take months.”

NOTE: Such a good point …
but worth the exploration, don’t you think?I’m smack dab in the middle of this life-transition and can
admit that it’s not an easy one.But ask anyone of my close friends … I’m way happier and more relaxed
now that I’ve figured out what I want to do.Now I just have to keep doing it so that one day I can be a
real contributor to the bottom line of our household!

There are so many pieces
of excellent advice in this book:#41 – Change the Way You Shop, #67 – Create Your Own Rituals,#70 – Learn to Meditate, #72 – Clean Up
Your Relationships, #76 – Stop Trying to Change People, #98 – Stop Making the
Bed